Ways to say it
| Serbian | Note |
|---|---|
| хвала | Cyrillic |
| захваљујем | Cyrillic |
| hvala | Latin |
| zahvaljujem | Latin |
The most common and versatile way to say thank you is hvala or its Cyrillic form хвала. You can use Puno hvala to say 'Thanks a lot' or Hvala najlepše to say 'Thank you very much'.
What does it mean word for word?
The noun hvala literally means 'praise' or 'glory'.
Which one should you use?
While hvala is the standard way to say thank you, zahvaljujem or захваљујем is a more formal, verb-based way to say 'I am expressing gratitude'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'thank you' to one person you know well, you add the pronoun 'ti' after the word to get Hvala ti (informal singular). To say 'thank you' to a group of people or to one person using the formal 'you', add 'vam' after the word to get Hvala Vam (plural/formal).
When do people say it?
When someone says hvala, the most common response is nema na čemu, which literally means 'there is nothing to [thank me] for'.
Did you know?
- In Serbian, the expression hvala can be used sarcastically to mean 'no thank you' or to express annoyance, depending on the tone of voice.
- When using the formal Hvala Vam, the 'V' in 'Vam' is often capitalized in writing to show extra respect to the person being addressed.
- The word hvala is inherited from the Proto-Slavic term *xvala.
Examples in context
- Хвала пуно за све!Thank you very much for everything.This sentence is useful for expressing gratitude for everything using хвала.Tatoeba #5806645 by dzoja, translation #65805 by CK
- Hvala ti mnogo, Tome.Thank you so much, Tom.This sentence is useful for thanking a specific person using hvala.Tatoeba #5029110 by Lebad, translation #5013001 by CK
- Hvala ti što me voliš.Thank you for loving me.This sentence is useful for expressing thanks for an action using hvala.Tatoeba #4971848 by Lebad, translation #4968246 by CK
- Hvala Vam, gospodine Petroviću.Thank you, Mr. Petrović.
- Zahvaljujem Vam, gospođo Jovanović.I thank you, Mrs. Jovanović.
- Hvala ti, Marko.Thank you, Marko.
- Hvala vam, devojke.Thank you, girls.
- Hvala puno na ljubaznosti.Thank you very much for your kindness.
- Hvala ti milion puta.Thanks a million.
- 36 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ana gives Marko a book he wanted to read.
- AnaЕво твоје књиге, Марко.Here is your book, Marko.
- MarkoХвала, Ана!Thank you, Ana!
- AnaНема на чему.You're welcome.
- MarkoБаш ми треба ова.I really need this one.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thank you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries хвала, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
